Non-Function: System Maintenence Reduction?

[Baron Munchausen]

Ah, but this will hit the same wall as every other 'bright idea' about altering game mechanics: The AI can't handle it!

Think about it. Will the AI check if the maintenance increase caused by sending it's 30 ships on the attack will push it's budget over the limit set in its config files? So, when it goes on the attack it will find itself 'over-extended' and start scrapping things -- probably stationary things like shipyard bases. Then those ships on the attack ...if they actually attack and don't just turn around and com back for resupply... will often get partially or mostly destroyed and the AI is doubly in the hole.

It might be good for 'human only' games but it'll just trip-up the AI.

[geoschmo]

Yeah. I gave up caring about the AI a long time ago though.

I wouldn't care if you just gave the AI lower maintenace. Let them cheat, at least the game would be more interesting. Being just a collection of ones and zeros resident in a bunch of transistors, the AI doesn't have any concept of realism and fun anyway.

Geoschmo

[ June 24, 2002, 18:15: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[rextorres]

I can't imagine the point of playing the AI when you have real people to be able to play against.

Having a reason not to glass your opponent's planets might make the game more interesting from a strategic standpoint.

I know some people may disagree, but I've come to the conclusion that once you get a couple of your opponents planets - for the atmosphere breathers -it's better to just eliminate them as quickly as possible (by extermination) than to try to assimilate them. The resource gain with assimilation is negligible compared to the time and resources required to do this.

Another option might to add a happiness type that gives negative happiness when you glass a planet. I was thought that it was kind of weird that peaceful happiness type didn't do this.

[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by augustinetorres:
I can't imagine the point of playing the AI when you have real people to be able to play against.

Having a reason not to glass your opponent's planets might make the game more interesting from a strategic standpoint.

I know some people may disagree, but I've come to the conclusion that once you get a couple of your opponents planets - for the atmosphere breathers -it's better to just eliminate them as quickly as possible (by extermination) than to try to assimilate them. The resource gain with assimilation is negligible compared to the time and resources required to do this.

Another option might to add a happiness type that gives negative happiness when you glass a planet. I was thought that it was kind of weird that peaceful happiness type didn't do this.

Yes, I have asked MM to add a happiness modifier for number of enemy population killed as well as your own. And a modifier for enemy colonies in the system as well as ships. Maybe then AI empires would be able to understand and enforce 'borders' instead of fighting like roiling ant colonies.

But I still think that we need to jack the planetary damage ratio up several orders of magnitude and give planetary weapons the ability to cancel the ratio. Then ordinary ship weapons will be practically useless against planets once the WPs are destroyed and you'll really need special weapons -- or troops -- to take a planet.

[Suicide Junkie]

To help discourage planet glassing, make the production rate of new colonies very low.
If, instead of building up a planet in 5 turns, it would take years, then captures would be extremely more rewarding.

You can also try increasing the value reduction of a glassing, to 40% or something, in which case the invader gets next to nothing in spoils unless he captures.

[Will]

Could also use Resupply Depots as incentives... if they're modded to take a few years to build instead of a few turns, and bases have their unlimited supply removed, and Q-Reactors produce a set amount of supplies instead of unlimited... of course, that would kill the AI.

Just an idea...

[Baron Munchausen]

I dunno. The AI in SE 3 was pretty tough and facility construction was very slow in that. I wouldn't make resupply especially expensive, just slow down everything. Cut the default planetary build rate to 1000 for all three resources instead of 2000 and increase basic facilities like mineral/organic/radioactive resource extraction a bit so they take 3-5 turns each to build. If fully developing a colony takes several years then yes it will be much more worthwhile to capture than to slag them. I bet it would actually even the odds because human players would have to proceed with their plans more slowly. This would force them to behave more like the AI does, working in very small steps. Perhaps it would be smart to decrease even the space yard rates a bit to make ships take longer to build.

[ June 25, 2002, 02:34: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]